Sewing-machine shuttle



(ModeL) G. H. THOMAS.

SEWING MACHINE SHUTTLE. No. 2733781. Patented Mar.13,1883.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR. fd.%ngiz ATTORNEY NITE STATES GEORGE H. THOMAS, OFSPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

SEWING-MACHINE SHUTTLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 273,781, dated March13, 1883.

Application filed August 22, 1882.

(ModelJ To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. THOMAS, of Springfield, in the county ofHampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Shuttles,of which the following is a specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to the tension and thread-controlling mechanism ofsewing-machine shuttles.

Heretot'ore the thread-controlling and tension mechanism in manysewing-machine shuttles has been objectionable because diflicult tothread, complicated, easily gotten out of re pair, and expensive.

The object of my invention is to construct a sewing-machine shuttlehaving a tension and thread controlling mechanism which shall be freefrom the abovenamed objectionable features; and my invention consists inthe construction and arrangementot' the parts as herein set out, wherebythe objects of my invention are attained.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters ofrelerenceindicate like parts, Figure lis a top view of a shuttleembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same,withthethreadguideand tension-spring swung away from the opening. Fig.3 is aview of the heel of the shuttle. Figs. 4 and 5 are edge and side viewsof the tension-spring. Figs. 6 and 7 are edge and side views of thethread-guide. Fig. 8 is a perspective of the shuttle, showing theposition of the parts at the time of threading; and Fig. 9 is a view ofthe pivotal screw.

The tension-spring consists of a piece, 0. having notches h and j, andthe projection t. The thread-guide consists of a piece, B, having acurved piece, a, and the part g, having a notch, i. The thread guide andtensionspring are pivoted within the slots 0 and c, as shown. Thetension-screw, which also serves as a pivot for the guide andtension-spring, passes through the frame from the point I) and bearsagainst the tension-spring. The end of this screw is provided with aprojection ofless diameter than the body of the screw; or, if preferred,the end is made tapering. The opening in the pivotal end of thetensionspriug is sufificiently large to permit the end of the screw toenter it, but will not permit the passage of the body ofthe screw. Apivot for the tension-spring is thus provided without the use of otherscrews or pins. This screw passes through the pivotal end of thethread-guide and the slot 0, thus providing a pivot for the guide toturn upon.

In some of the sowing-machines in which this class of shuttle is used athread-springis desirable'i. 0., a spring or device which will grasp thethread when it reaches the heel of the shuttle and hold it there untilit is drawn from that position by the action of the machine, thuspreventing the kinking or knotting in the thread, which is liable toresult if the thread be not so heldwhile in other niachines this is notrequired. To adapt my invention, therefore, to shuttles for both kindsot'machines, I vary the construction, as hereinafter set out. For amachine which does not require a thread-spring the heel of the frame isslotted, as shown atf, ,to receive and hold in place the free end of thethread-guide, which retains its position within the slot by reason ofits tendency to spring toward the face of the shuttle. The thread-guideis provided at or near its end with an inwardlyprojecting piece, 0,around which the thread draws, thus preventing the catching or drawingof the thread in the slotf. This piece may be extended sufficiently toreach to, or nearly to, the bobbin-arbor, thus acting both to hold thebobbin in place and to prevent the thread being drawn too far over theheel of the shuttle.

For a machine which requires a threadspring 1 construct the framewithout the slot f, and permit the free, end of the thread-guide to beardirectly upon the surface; and to hold it in position with a downwardpressure, I provide the part g with an outwardly projecting pin, a,which enters a recess in the shuttleframe adapted to receive it when theguide is in its proper position. This pin may project from the part g,constructed as shown in full lines, or the part 9 may be lengthened, asin dicated by dotted lines in Fig. 7. This [deem the better method ofconstruction. The pin or part 0" may enter a recess, 0, in the frame, ormay project inwardly inside the frame, as in the first-described methodof construction, except that in the construction in which a threadspring is desired a portion of the end ICO of the guide between thepiece 1 and its edge which is farthest from the face of the shuttle mustbe left free to receive the thread between it and the shuttle-frame, andthus operate as a thread-spring, while with the first-described methodof construction the piece r is adapted to prevent the thread beingcaught between the guide and frame.

The free end of the tension spring is provided with a piece, t, whichenters a recess or opening in the shnttle-frameadapted to receive thesame, thus holding the spring in position. The shuttle-frame is providedwith the usual recesses and grooves for the reception of the bobbin, andthe bobbin is heldin place within the frame by the piece 7", as beforedescribed,

. or by the thread-guide, against which the disk of the bobbin willstrike if carried in that direction. Tliethread-gnide is turned outwardon its pivot to allow the insertion or removal of the bobbin, or forthreading, by springing it away from the face of the shuttle until freefrom the recess, when it may be turned upon its pivot to the desiredposition. The tension upon the thread is caused by the pressure of thetension-spring upon the thread as it passes between the interior of wallof the shuttle- .frame and the spring, and the pressure is varied byturning the tension-screw. When the spring and guide are closed inplace, the part 9 of the guide bears against the tension-spring, and thenotch j in the spring is opposite the notch t, and as these notches cometogether each serves to close the opening of the other, thus forming ahole through which the thread is drawn and from which it cannot escape,except to be drawn through.

I am aware that a sewing-machine shuttle has heretofore been made havingan opening for the passage of the thread formed by parts having notchescoming together; but with these the tension device'has been so connectedwith the other parts that when thelatch is opened for the insertion orremoval of the bobbin the tension-spring is, or is liable to be, moved,and dust or lint isliable to become lodged between the parts. Experiencehas shown that any change or movement of the tension device, howeverslight, is liable to vary the tension. It is therefore very desirablethat the construction be such that the bobbin may be inserted or removedwithout in any manner interfering with the tension. This I accomplish byconstructing the parts as shown and pivoting them independently. It willthus be seen that after the tension is once adjusted it is in no wiseaffected by the moving of the thread-guide. I therefore, whilecheapening the cost of construction and lessening the number of parts,retain and combine the advan tages incident to the independentoperation'of the parts, while doing away with the objectionable featuresheretofore existing, and especiallyI retain the utmost simplicity inthreadlng.

To thread the shuttle, the bobbin being in place, the thread-guide isturned outward upon its pivot. The thread isthen drawn through notch hand, between the tension-spring and interior wall of the frame, forwarduntil it enters the notch j, then outward away from the face of theshuttle, and the thread-guide is closed in place, the thread being belowthe guide. The thread now being drawn taut and carried toward the heelof the shuttle will be drawn in place for use.

Itwill readily be seen that my tension-spring and thread-guide may beapplied to other shuttle-frames than the one herein illustrated.

I am aware that shuttles have heretofore been made having a thread'guidepivoted to the frame; but in no case to my knowledge has the guide beenpivoted on the tensionscrew. Neither-am I aware that the spring andguide have heretofore been independently pivoted on the same pivot andboth adapted to swing in a plane parallel with the shuttle face, whichmotion, it will be readily seen, is very desirable in an open-sidedshuttle.

Having therefore described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. An open-shuttle frame having athreadguide, B, and a tension-spring, U. pivoted to the frame in slotson one pivot,whereby they may be turned in a plane parallel with theface of the shuttle, and operating substantially as shown.

2. A sewing-machine'shnttle having a threadguide and tension-springindependently pivoted to the shuttle-frame on one pivot, one or both ofthe parts having a thread-notch and adapted to come together, as shown,whereby a thread-opening is formed, and the guide may be turned on itspivot independently of the tension device, substantially as shown.

3. A shuttle-frame having slots 0 and 6, with a thread-guide andtension-spring pivoted therein on the same pivot, which pivot acts alsoas a tension-screw,substantially as shown.

4. The combination of the spring 0, having notches h and j, andprojection t, the guide B,

having curved portion a, and part 9, having notch t, and a shuttle-framehaving slots 0, e,

.and f, substantially as shown.

5. In an open-sided sewing-machine shuttle, a thread-guide having apiece, 1', projecting from the guide inside the shuttle-frame over thebobbin-arbor, and adapted to operate to hold the bobbin in place and toprevent the thread being carried too far over the heel of the shuttle,substantially as shown.

6. An open-sided shuttle-frame having a thread-guide pivoted to theframe on the ten sion-screw and adapted to turn on its pivot in a planeparallel with the face of the shuttle, and having a means to hold thefree end of the guide closed upon the heel of the shuttle, whereby theguide operates both as a guide and thread-spring, substantially asshown.

\ GEO.'H. THOMAS.

Witnesses:

ALLEN WEBSTER, NEWRIE S. WINTER.

TOG

